Tuesday, March 28

Welcome to Day Twenty-Eight of Fiction University’s Month-Long Revision Workshop. Over the last month we’ve been working on the larger revision issues and ignoring the specifics of the text (in most cases). Our stories are now solid, our structure and various story arcs are sound, and our scenes flow smoothly from one idea to the next. The novel is “done,” and we feel comfortable that it’s good and well-written. Now it’s time to polish our literary jewels until they shine, so roll up those sleeves and let’s get into the nitty gritty of the individual word choices.

Yesterday we got rid of the chaff and breathed new life into stale prose. Our next step is to sneak in and fix those common words that are easy to mix up, and the accidentally hysterical phrases we sometimes write.

Today’s let focus on misused words and awkward phrases.

1. Correct Commonly Misused Words

These are words we often misuse (mostly by accident). I’ve added a few of the tricks I use to remember them. Who vs. that: Who is for people, that is for things. Few vs. less: It takes less time to count fewer things. You can also try counting whatever you're referring to. One hour, two hours, etc. Not one time, two time.

Farther vs. further: How far do we have to go? Far = distance = something measurable. Which vs. that: Which is used in restrictive clauses,which can be taken out and still understand the sentence. That is used when taking that out changes the sentence’s meaning. Only and just: Are they modifying the right word?

Bring vs. take: You take a vacation. Vacations are usually away from you, and you have to go to them. Bring that to me. Bring comes toward me.

In vs. into: Into indicates motion. In indicates being inside something.

All Right vs. Alright: Alright is also not a word, but after years of misuse, it’s heading toward acceptance. Your call, but most will say change it.

Irregardless vs. Regardless: Irregardless is another non-word.

Who vs. Whom: Rephrase it using he/she and him/her to test, For example: “To whom am I speaking?” becomes “I am speaking to him” (use whom) vs. “I am speaking to he.” “Whom is at the door?” becomes “Him is at the door” vs. “He is at the door” (use who).

2. Correct Homonyms

These are words that sound alike, but are spelled differently. Make sure you're using the right one.

There vs. their vs. they’re

It’s vs. its

Whose vs. Who’s

Your vs. You’re

Altar vs. Alter

Phase vs. Faze

Peak vs. Peek vs. Pique

Accept vs. Except

Loose vs. Lose

Complement vs. Compliment

3. Rethink Any Comically Disembodied Body Parts

These are phrases where a body part (eyes, hands, fingers, feet, heads) is doing something all on its own. Eyes dart around rooms, feet wander the streets, hands reach for things--often with unintentionally comic results. If the body part sounds like it’s a separate entity from the character, and you’re not trying to instill that feeling, consider revising.

4. Revise Any Misplaced Modifiers or Dangling Participles

Modifiers are phrases or clauses that add additional information to a word in the sentence (typically the closest noun). When a modifier is in the wrong place and describes something else, hilarity can ensue. For example, “The cart drove under an arch filled with watermelons” vs. “The cart filled with watermelons drove under an arch.” In the first example, it’s the arch that’s filled with watermelons, not the cart. Dangling participles are the funnier cousins to misplaced modifiers, often dangling at the end or beginning of a sentence but not really belonging to anything in it. They refer to a subject that isn’t present in the sentence. For example: “Clawing at the wall, Bob shot the zombie” vs “Bob shot the zombie clawing at the wall.”

A
long-time fantasy reader, Janice Hardy always wondered about the
darker side of healing. For her fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, she
tapped into her own dark side to create a world where healing was
dangerous, and those with the best intentions often made the worst
choices. Her novels include The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter,
was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians
Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book. It was also
shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and The Truman
Award in 2011.

9 comments:

Great list of misused words and phrases, Janice. I have a personal pet peeve that you did not cover, which is in the use of like vs. such as. "Like" means similar to and "such as" means by example. So, saying "This movie is like that movie" is correct. But saying "Some boys enjoy playing with Tonka trucks but other boys, like Billy, prefer Power Rangers" is incorrect because the use of the word "like" in this sentence is implied to mean "for example", in which case, "such as" is the more appropriate and accurate choice.

Thanks again for this great list to help writers improve the small stuff!

It's there already, and yes you can. Every time I see alot I always picture that great cartoon from Hyperbole and a Half: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

I love this At-Home Workshop series of yours, Janice! So much valuable information, presented in a reader-friendly manner, with great examples! I've been sending my clients here to check out your great advice!